Unexpected Love
by SpiritFighting
Summary: Rose is an FBI agent pursuing a serial killer who has been taunting her for a year. Everything changes when she meets- and falls for- the latest victim's brother, Dimitri. Will he shun her because of the bad news she brought him or will love blossom?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfiction, hope you enjoy! I'm obsessed with 2 things...Vampire Academy and anything relating crime. So, this was born! This story is ALL HUMAN! **

**-Kira**

I stared at the young girl laid out on the slab before me. Her curly brown hair stuck to her cold blue cheek, drained of all life. I couldn't help but reach my hand out to gently push the strand back into place. She didn't deserve this. None of them did. I had been after the bastard for almost a year and still had no leads except for the trail of bodies he had been leaving behind.

First there had been Avery Lazar. 17 years old. Found on a playground by a now traumatized third grader. Her throat had been slashed and her naked body stabbed repeatedly. I was new to fieldwork and this was my first major homicide. I responded appropriately and ran to the nearest bush to empty my stomach. After a month of searching and no new leads, I was about to give up when another body surfaced. Meredith Lee. 18 years old. Found under a freeway underpass. Dumped just like Avery. Now, I was no genius or child prodigy or anything like that, but even I could see that the two young girl's deaths were related. Again, just like Avery, no new leads appeared. No one had seen the two girls abducted, killed, or dumped. No matter how hard I searched, this son of a bitch never surfaced. After a few months of getting nowhere, I was just again about to mark these killings as a cold case when yet another body appeared. It was like the sick pervert was messing with my head. This girl was younger than the others, only 14 years old. Her name was Jill Mastrano and she was dumped just like the others in an alley behind a bar downtown. That was when I vowed to catch this sick son of a bitch.

As the year progressed, more and more bodies appeared. There were 14 in total with this young girl, Viktoria Belikova as his latest victim. She was only 16 years old. I remember when I was 16, partying, drinking, and well…living. It broke my heart to know that she would never have that opportunity. As I looked at her blue lips and unseeing eyes, a concerned voice snapped me out of my past.

"Rose?" Alberta Petrov asked. She was the chief medical examiner and like a second mother to me. Only she and my best friend Lissa Dragomir, psychologist for the FBI, really understood what I was going through. Sure people sympathize with "Oh it must be so hard for you to see dead bodies on a regular basis." But only they really _understood_ how hard it was for me to have no clue where to go to from here.

"Yes Alberta?" I focused all my attention back to her.

"Rose…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at me with concern.

"Really Alberta, I'm fine. I just…feel sorry for her. And her family." I choked a little at the last bit, knowing that I would soon have to face them and tell them of Viktoria's death. I had never really had a strong sense of the word "family" until Lissa came along. My mother Janine Hathaway was a workaholic and current director of the FBI whereas my dad Abe Mazur was a known fugitive and currently in the wind. I had only ever seen my dad twice in my life. At an early age I was shipped off to live with relatives in Montana and attend hell on earth, also known as St. Vladimir's Academy. That was where I met Lissa. We were in the same kindergarten class and had bonded over me yelling at the teacher and calling her a "fascist bastard" for making us write or very long names out several times. I inwardly smiled at the memory. Ever since then, we had become inseparable and even closer than sisters. When her parents and brother were killed when we were 15, I swore to protect her as long as she lived. But in some respects, she was the one protecting me. Ever since then, I protected her physically but she protected me from the dark places that sometimes took over my mind. That was why she had become a psychologist, so she could help heal people- most importantly me- and make a difference in the lives of others. When we had both been accepted into the FBI, it was like a dream come true. Now I could sleep at night knowing that I would always be equipped to protect her and she could distract my mind from whatever maniac was screwing with my head this time.

"Rose…you know someone else can do it if you aren't up to it." Alberta reassured me.

"Really Alberta, I'm fine. I need to do a victimology report on her anyway. There must be something connecting them!" I slammed my fist down hard onto a cool metal tray holding surgical instruments. Pain flooded through my hand and I looked down to see blood gushing from the open wound I had just created from landing on top of a scalpel. I gasped.

"Rose!"

"I'm. Fine." I breathed in deep and clenched my teeth together. Alberta ran to the cupboards for something to sew the wound back up and some gauze to cover it. After I was all stitched up, I turned to Alberta once again.

"How did she die?" She knew what I was really asking. Was there any forensic evidence that could lead to the killer.

"Same as the others. Cut throat, severing the jugular artery and multiple stab wounds on the body. Except…" She frowned, "How could I have not noticed this before?" She focused her attention on the victim's fingernails. Carefully, she pulled out a swab and took scrapings from under the nails. She put it in an evidence bag as she turned to me with a ghost of a smile on her face.

"What is it Alberta?" I asked, hope filling through me.

"I think this young girl may have fought back."

"You mean…"

"Yes. She may have gotten the unsub's DNA when she scratched him."

I outright smiled. This was the best lead so far.

An hour later I was on my way to inform the victim's family of her death. Driving into Williamsburg, Virginia, my cell phone rang.

"Hathaway." I stated as I picked up the call through my Bluetooth.

"Rose, it's Alberta. The test results came back."

I was stunned. "The DNA test came back that fast? Usually it takes a few days at the least."

"No, no. This is just the preliminary test. The DNA won't be back for 3 days, but the pubic hair we found? That's another story. It shows that the perp is indeed male and between the ages of 35 and 50. "

I was flabbergasted. "Pubic hair? He left…where?"

"It was in her mouth. He's obviously getting more daring Rose if he is now engaging in oral sex with them besides just raping them vaginally. Please be careful."

"I will Alberta." I said as I pulled up to the plain brown two story house. "Alberta, can I call you back? I've just arrived at the victim's house."

"All right sweety. Stay safe."

And with that I hung up and got out of my black SUV and slowly made my way towards the front door, dreading what would be coming next. I knocked three times on the door as I composed myself. Telling families that they would no longer see someone was the worst part of the job. I was fiddling with the edge of my black blazer as I secretly hoped the family was out and I wouldn't have to face them quite yet. No such luck. I nearly gasped as the door opened to reveal the hottest man I had ever seen in my life. He was tall, about a foot taller than me, making him 6'7". His shoulder length brown hair was pulled back into a small pony tail at the nape of his neck. A few strands were loose and I couldn't help but notice how similar it was to Viktoria's. His chocolate brown eyes regarded me skeptically as he spoke.

"Can I help you?" His voice was deep and held a slight Russian accent and flowed out like a waterfall. I sighed. And slapped myself inwardly. _Rose, get a hold of yourself! Stop dreaming over a man who is probably going to hate you once he figures out you're here to tell him his family member is dead!_

"My name in Special Agent Rose Hathaway, FBI. Is this the Belikov residence?"

_Please say no, please say no, please say no-_

"Yes," _Damn!_ "What can I do for you Special Agent Hathaway? My name is Dimitri."

"Please call me Rose. Is your family home?" Better get it all done at once.

"Just my mother, grandmother, and two of my three sisters. My other sister is at school. May I ask what this is concerning?"

"May I come in, I need to speak to you and your family." _Way to beat around the bush, Rose_. I chided myself inwardly. He gracefully stepped aside and led me inside to a formal sitting room.

"Please, sit down." He said, gesturing to a scarlet settee. "Can I get you anything to drink or eat?" Such a gentleman. I sighed. This was definitely going to be hard.

"No, I'm fine thank-you."

"Alright, I will go get my family now." He left me sitting there and I glanced around the room. It was neatly organized and my wandering eyes landed on the family portrait over the fireplace mantle. There was Viktoria in the center smiling as her brother wrapped his huge, muscled, arm around her and three other women, all similarly looking and all smiling. I heard others approaching and talking softly in Russian, so I stood up to meet them.

"Mama," Dimitri- _sigh_- said, "This is Special Agent Rose Hathaway."

"Please call me Rose." I replied.

"Hello Rose, my name is Olena Belikova and these are two of my daughters, Sonya and Karolina. And my mother, Yeva. My other daughter should be home from school shortly. How can I help you today?" She smiled, oblivious to the bad news I was about to bestow on her. Yeva glared at me. For some reason, I had the creepy sensation she knew.

I cleared my throat. "It's nice to meet you. Will you please have a seat?"

They nodded and took various places around the room. Yeva sat in an armchair across from the settee and continued to glare. Olena and her two daughters took the settee as Dimitri sat on the loveseat. I glanced around, suddenly very much aware that there was only one seat left. On the loveseat. Next to Dimitri. Crap. I would not only have to give devastating news but I would have to do it while very much turned on by the sexy Russian. I took my seat an sighed.

"There's no easy way to say what I'm about to." I sighed again. Yeva cursed and left the room. The others looked at me expectantly and slightly confused at their grandmother's sudden departure.

"Go on, Rose." Olena smiled slightly.

"I'm very sorry to tell you that your daughter has been-" I stopped. Exactly how much should I tell them? I had a feeling that this family was the type to need the truth, no sugar coating it.

"-murdered. Again, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine what this must feel like." Next to me I felt Dimitri tense up. Karolina and Olena cried softly while Sonya clenched her jaw.

"How?" Olena croaked out.

"Ma'am, I'm not sure-"

"Please."

"Her throat was cut and she was stabbed repeatedly. " Dimitri swore in Russian. I continued. "We believe it to be connecting to a serial killer that has been terrorizing young women throughout Virginia and D.C. for a year now."

Olena looked at me sadly. "Thank-you."

"I know this must be hard for you right know, and I completely understand if you would like me to leave and come back later, but I need to ask you a few questions about Viktoria to get better understanding about why she might have been targeted."

"Of course." Olena replied.

"Did she have any enemies?"

She laughed sadly, "No, she wasn't popular, but she wasn't an outcast. She was just a normal teenage girl."

"Can you tell me about her routine?"

"She went to school around 8, and stayed there until 4 at the library, after she did her homework, she would go out to the local community center and read to underprivileged kids until 6, when she came home for dinner. She didn't play any sports and didn't have a large group of friends."

"She sounds like a wonderful girl." I smiled sympathetically. "Would it be possible for me to see her room?"

"Of course." Olena replied once again. "Dimitri, will you please show Rose here where Viktoria's room is?"

He nodded curtly before stiffly rising and crossing quickly to a staircase. He led me up it an nodded to the first room on the left. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am not quite ready to see her room just yet."

I nodded, understanding completely. He headed back down and I called back to him.

"Dimitri?"

He slowly turned. "Yes?"

"You were close, weren't you?"

"Yes." He replied, face void of emotion.

"I'm sorry." And with that, he turned away, once again.

Viktoria's room was a light pink and was pretty much a typical teenagers room. Pictures of her and her friends and family-especially of her and Dimitri- were tacked up onto her walls. After a few more glances around, I noticed her diary. I took it and headed back downstairs. The family had not moved.

"Olena, do you mind if I take this with me to get a better understanding of her life?"

"Of course." I had a feeling this was her default reply.

"Thank-you. I just have one more question, I noticed no pictures of her father around. What exactly happened?"

Dimitri stiffened. "He's gone. Has been for a long time." He said coldly.

Olena glanced at her son. "He was a…bad influence." She stood up and whispered to me confidentially, "He used to beat me, but when Dimitri was thirteen, he beat up his father and threatened him if he ever came back." Louder she said, "Please, let me escort you to the door." I nodded and followed her. Dimitri was suddenly at my side as I moved to put my hand on the doorknob.

"Where was she found?" His voice was filled with sorrow.

"Near an abandoned warehouse off of the 95." I answered truthfully. For some reason, I knew he could handle it.

"Can I see her?" It was my turn to stiffen.

"I really don't think that's a good id-" He cut me off.

"Please." His eyes filled with sadness.

"Alright. Come to the morgue anytime from 12-4 tomorrow and I will show you her."

I gave him my card as I said, "Please call me if you ever need anything. I have been chasing this bastard for a year now and if it makes you feel any better, your sister was quite the fighter. Not only did we recover a hair from the crime scene, but she also scrapped some of his blood and skin off, giving us a good sample for DNA. Because of her, she is the closest on anything I've got since I started working this case."

He gave a ghost of a smile. "Yes, she was always quite stubborn and quite the fighter. I am a self-defense instructor and taught her everything I know." His smile disappeared. "Except it wasn't good enough. _I_ wasn't good enough. I should have been there to protect her."

It broke my heart to see him this dejected. Except, I had no clue why, I had just met this guy! AND had told him his sister died! I should not feel this strongly about him! I had always ran away from love, and now it seems that I had walked right into it. Wait, wait, wait, _love? Who said I loved this guy?_ Oh right, I did. ARGH! It was all so confusing! I wanted to say, I love you, please stop being sad! But instead I ended up saying,

"DImitri, it wasn't your fault, if you ever need to talk, I'm here or I can introduce you to my friend Lissa Dragomir, she's a psychologist and has really helped me deal with all the death I have had to face because of this son of a bitch."

His eyes looked sad as he slowly nodded his head and I walked out the door. "Goodbye, Rose."

**Hope you likes Chapter 1! Sorry Viki had to die...it WILL be for the greater good! I promise!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your reviews and subscriptions! I forgot to say last chapter, but I do NOT OWN ANY VAMPIRE ACADEMY stuff. same goes for this chapter. Sorry it's kinda short...but the next one will probably be twice as long :) so..on with the show!**

**-Kira**

I pulled into the parking space at Quantico and rushed inside the cool, air conditioned building. I had to see Lissa. Not only was I feeling emotionally distraught from going over the details of Viktoria's murder with Alberta, but I was also confused as hell on why I had the sudden urge to jump on her brother. I knew he would never love me the same way I loved him, not after I was the one to tell this protective God that his sister was murdered. What am I even saying? He wouldn't love me anyways because well, we just met!

As I boarded the elevator, the held back tears threatening to betray themselves, I ran into someone.

"Watch where you're going." I growled, never mind the fact that it was _I _who ran into_ him_ but still! I was way to emotional over this case! I had to pull myself together. _You didn't know them, Rose. _I scolded myself. _Just focus on catching the killer!_

"Woah there little agent, no need to rip my head off." I looked up into the man's emerald green eyes and messy brown hair. A smile crept over my face.

"Adrian! You're back!" I squealed. Adrian Ivashkov was one of my close coworkers and a former member of my division. He had been relocated about 4 months ago to Albuquerque, New Mexico to help the Witness Protection Program with one of their important drug ring busts.

"I was wondering when you'd notice." He smirked. He took in my 5'7"-curvy-in-all-the-right-places body and his eyes stopped on my chest. I playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

"When did you get back?" I exclaimed.

"Yesterday night. I was going to come over to see you in your apartment, but when I got there I heard a lot of banging and moaning going on, so I left." He smirked, "What exactly was going on?"

"Lissa and Christian had the apartment to themselves last night. I was at work. Why don't you ask them?" Knowing very well he would shut up. While he loved to make fun of my love life and often questioned me why he wasn't in it, he was embarrassed as hell to question sweet, innocent Liss about hers.

"I well…umm.." He faltered. "So you still trying to catch the bastard killing those women?" Smooth move, changing the subject like that. But all the playfulness between us earlier was now gone.

I glared, "He took another one today. Viktoria Belikova. 16."

He looked down as the elevator stopped on the 6th floor. "Well this is my stop, Hathaway. See you later." And just like that, he was gone. I sighed. He was always making excuses and leaving me in the dust. That was why I couldn't date him anymore. We had gone out a couple of years ago, when I was fresh out of the academy and I knew he wasn't "the one" when he had left halfway through our date because a "sick friend needed him." Uh huh. Yeah, that was just an excuse to go bang some other girl because he knew he wasn't going to get an from me that night. The elevator bell rung as it stopped on the 11th floor where Lissa's office was.

"Rose!" She squealed when she saw me. Her tiny frame wrapped me into the tightest bear hug ever.

"Liss-" I choked, "Can't. Breathe!"

She released me and stepped back. "Sorry." She grinned sheepishly. "I just have some really exciting news!"

"That's great Liss. I'd love to here it, but I really do need to talk to you." My face was blank and I could tell as her jade green eyes took me in that she knew why.

"He did it again, didn't he." Her whispered voice was barely audible.

"Yeah, he did Liss." I sighed. "But that's not even the worst part. "

"Come sit down Rose." She said as she led me to a black leather couch in the middle of her office. "What happened?"

"Well I have good news, and bad news." I spoke softly. "Today I met the hottest man ever. And he's a good person. But-" Before I could continue Lissa's voice squealed as she wrapped me in for another hug.

"That's wonderful Rose!" She smiled. Then her smile slowly turned into a frown as she remembered what I had said. "But why is that bad news?" Her concerned voice tugged at my heart strings.

"It's because of _how_ I met him." I replied quietly. "I met him- when- when-" I sputtered as I took a deep breath. "When I went to tell him that his baby sister was murdered."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh Rose…" We hugged again as I cried softly.

"Her name was Viktoria Belikova, she was 16 years old and only a sophomore in high school. She volunteered with under-privileged kids every afternoon and was just a normal teenage girl." I wept into my best friend's arms. "She had _everything to live for_ and HE took it away!" I was suddenly very angry and ripped away from Lissa. She knew that the dark images of murdered girls that were forever burned into my mind were making a come back.

"Rose," she said soothingly in her motherly manor. She platinum blonde hair swished gracefully as she made her way over to me. "You can't beat yourself up over this. It wasn't your fault. And as for the brother-"

"Dimitri." I whispered.

"As for Dimitri," She started again. "you need to be there for him. He just lost his sister. Maybe one day, he will like you back. But you just have to give him time."

Suddenly, I tensed as her left hand patted my back reassuringly. There was something hard in her hand.

"Liss, what is that?" I pulled her hand in front of me.

"Ohmygosh Liss!" I squealed and jumped up and down as I took in the diamond ring on her ring finger.

She grinned. "I told you I had something important to tell you!"

"You should have told me sooner! I wouldn't have bothered you with my…situation…if you did." She face grew dark.

"Don't you ever tell me not to help you Rosemarie Hathaway!" She yelled. "You needed me. And I needed to be there _for_ you. End of discussion."

I quickly changed the subject. "How did he do it Liss?"

She smile returned as she recanted the details of how Christian had taken her out to Mangos, her favorite restaurant, and had made her eat the chocolate cake- even though she didn't want to, she muttered hopelessly- and smiled even wider when she told me about the ring baked into the cake.

"And I bit into it and felt something hard, so I didn't want to chew and I _couldn't _spit it out, that wouldn't have been very ladylike, and all the time Christian was grinning at me and-"

We both froze at the knock on the door. I went up to answer it and gasped when I saw who it was.

"Dimitri?"

**Hehe...:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I know I said this was going to be twice as long, but my guinea pig died today and I just...couldn't write. And no laughing for the fact that I'm sad over a guinea pig! Also, I won't be updating for at least a week because I have family coming into town tomorrow. Thanks for all the reviews and hits though!**

**-Kira**

I just gaped at him like a love-struck teenager meeting her idol for the very first time. He looked at me with such passion, though I couldn't tell you which emotion was playing through his head at that moment.

"Agent Hathaway." He acknowledged.

"Rose." I said. "Remember, I asked you to call me Rose. " I offered a weak smile. I still couldn't understand what he was even doing here.

"Rose," He began again. "I uh, need to tell you something about my sister."

"Of course." I turned to Lissa, "Liss, can you give us a sec?" She nodded before quickly leaving the room. But as soon as she was sure that Dimitri couldn't see her anymore, she looked at me and mouthed _He's Hot! _While giving me a double thumbs up. I just rolled my eyes at her and shut the door.

"So, what can I do for you Dimitri? You said you had information about your sister? Though I am a little confused about why you drove 2 hours when you could have told me at your house…" I trailed off, looking up at him expectantly. He was watching in amusement as I continued to ramble. _Damn, he was _fine. I thought to myself as he continued to look down on me. We were standing so close that I could feel his breath envelop me like a warm island breeze. His aftershave mixed in with the hint of sweat caused by the warm Virginia day weakened me at the knees. To cover the fact that I was probably going to collapse at any second I said, "Would you like to take a seat?"

He nodded curtly and followed me over to the leather couch and gracefully sat down. How he could be 6'7" and manage to sit down with that much grace, I would never know.

He cleared his throat and looked at me with those deep chocolate eyes- _Snap out of it Rose!_ I chided myself.

"I came here to talk to you about Viktoria because I- I didn't want my family to overhear what I was going to say." His voice sounded strained as if he didn't want to admit what he was going to say next.

"Go on." I placed my hand on his knee and felt the electric sparks shoot through my body. I quickly took back my hand before I could do anything else, though I desperately wanted to leave it there and then take him right on the couch…in my best friend's office. _ROSE! _My conscience yelled. _STOP FLIRTING WITH THE DEAD GIRL'S BROTHER!_

He nodded again and closed his eyes. "I'm not sure if this will be of any relevance to you, but I found out last week that Viktoria was seeing a…senior."

I was a little confused because unless this 18 year old knew the other victims, then I didn't see how this was going to help me catch my killer.

"Um…thank you for the information Dimitri, did you happen to get a name?"

He sighed. "No, she wouldn't tell me. I only found out because I caught her sneaking out of her room one night to be with him and she admitted to being in a relationship. Of course, I didn't trust him so I followed her one night when I saw him," he visibly shuddered, "touch her."

"Thank you for telling me this Dimitri. I'll try and find him, a teenage boy can't be that hard to find." I laughed a little.

He looked at me, raised an eye brow, _Damn, I wish I could do that!_ before realization took over and he let out a chuckle of his own. "Agent Hathaway- Rose- I didn't mean a senior in _high school_. I meant an actual senior. A senior citizen."

I let what he had just said sink in. "Oh." I said very quietly. "Well- um- I guess that actually does help me-" But whatever else I was going to say was cut off by my phone ringing.

"Please excuse me." He nodded and I stepped out of the room.

"Hathaway." My voice was a little cooler than it should have been but I was a little mad at whoever was interrupting my Dimitri time!

"There's been another one, Rose. Except this time…there's also a note." Alberta's voice was chilly as she relayed the information. I stayed silent and took a few deep breaths. He took two in one day! I had to catch this son of a bitch. And soon.

"Rose, are you still there?" Alberta's voice was laced with concern.

"How old?" I asked quietly.

I could hear Alberta swallow as she held back the information.

"How old Alberta?" I raised my voice. My tone was dripping from venom directed at the bastard that kept doing this.

"Rose I-" She sighed and gave in, "12."

"TWELVE?" I screeched. "He's going younger." I the last part wasn't a question.

"Yes Rose I- I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet.

"Where?"

"Only a block from the last victim. I'll have Stan text you the address." Stan was the IT guy that I never really got along with. But right now, with that information, he was my best friend.

"I'll meet you there Alberta." I knew she was already at the crime scene, examining the body.

"See you soon Rose." She sighed as she hung up.

I put my phone away and went back in to face Dimitri.

"I'm sorry but I have to leave now. If you have any relevant information in the future, please, don't hesitate to call me." I said with a blank expression on my face. I was mentally preparing myself for the gruesome scene that I was about to witness.

"I'm going with you." He stated. He knew why I suddenly had to leave, probably because I was just screaming about it on the phone and he heard me. Curse these thin walls!

"Sir, I can't let you."

"It wasn't a question. I need to see what he did to my sister."

"Dimitri I-"

"If you don't allow me to ride with you, I'm just going to follow you in your car and you know it. So save yourself the trouble of trying to lose me and let me come with you." His eyes were full of anger.

Sighing, I snapped, "Fine. But do not leave the car and do not expect to freely walk on the crime scene."

"Thank-you." Dimitri muttered. _This was so against protocol!_

The ride over was silent as he just gazed out of the SUV with a blank expression. I kept my eyes mainly focused on the road, despite the occasional sideways glance at the hot man sitting next to me, and didn't speak until we had reached the alley where the newest girl was found.

"Stay here." I commanded as I jumped out of the car and practically ran to the crime scene.

Blood was everywhere. The alley walls were covered in excess spatter and a huge puddle of it was soaking into the ground. In the middle of the lake of blood lay a little body, curled into the fetal position as to somehow protect herself from the knife marks cut deep into her back. Crime scene investigators were hustling around her, dusting for finger prints and collecting evidence from the dirty alley. Shock coursed through me as I quickly regained my "guardian mask" as Lissa liked to call it. I rushed over to Alberta who was looking over the little body, trying to find her cause of death even though it was pretty obvious with the slash in her throat so deep the head was just hanging onto the body by a thread.

"Alberta, he's breaking his pattern. First two bodies in one day and now killing them on the dump site? It doesn't make any sense!" I cursed as I shook my head. "I don't understand Alberta!"

"Rose, I can't tell you why he is suddenly changing his pattern- what little of one there was- but I can tell you that she died about 3 hours ago from blood loss, she was 12 years old, and according to the school I.D. she had on her person-belonging to Glacier Creek Middle School- her name was Galina Arnold and she was in the 6th grade."

"This is just awesome." I rolled my eyes sarcastically.

"And Rose?"

"Yes Alberta." I sighed coldly.

"There's a note." I looked around confused. A note? There had never been a note before. He must have been feeling threatened. That would also explain the sudden change of behavior. What was he worried about though?

"Where is it?"

"Look behind you."

I gasped. On the wall behind me written in what I assumed was the victim's blood was a note. Addressed to me.

**Sorry, I just really LOVE writing cliff hangers!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for your patience! I'm sorry, but I won't be able to update until Thursday, more family is coming tomorrow! I mean seriously. They never visited us where we used to live and now that we move, BAM! Family overload! And I really don't like this chapter, and I get it if you don't either, just please don't tell me about it. Thanks.**

**-Kira**

_Little Rosie Posie, stop trying. You won't succeed. If you don't give up this case soon, it won't be their lives that you are worried for. Back off Rosie Bear, or else your little cub Lissa will be next. You can't protect everyone. Choose. In one month you will make a press release announcing the discontinuation of the case, or else no one you love will be safe. No one._

I stared at the words written in blood for a long time. _How did he know my name?_ I wasn't in charge of press releases and it was made sure that my name was always, _ALWAYS_, kept out of the newspapers and television broadcasts so that I could continue on with this case with minimal interruption. I gulped. Hard. He was playing hard now, he was done with these little games. I suddenly realized it was never about the young girls…it was about me. And yet, at the moment all I cared about was making sure Liss was ok. I frantically pulled out my black phone and dialed her number. After the third ring, she picked up, just like always. I sighed in relief.

"Hello?" she asked, her sweat voice laced with happiness, presumably from her engagement.

"Liss, can you do me a favor?"

"Oh hey Rose! Um…sure, what's up?"

"Will you please call Christian and ask him to stay with you for the next couple of days? Including work." I added the last part quickly, knowing she doesn't like any interruptions during her work hours, well besides me, but I never truly "distracted" her. For the most part.

"Rose!" She whined. "You know I hate people staying with me!"

"I know Liss, and I'll tell you all about it later, but I really need to know you are safe and not alone." She sighed, giving up. _Finally!_ I mentally did a little victory dance. At least she would be safe!

"Fine. But I expect you to come straight over once you get back from the crime scene."

"Will do. Thanks Liss." I smiled and hung up. I looked at the wall once more. I wouldn't let this bastard get to me anymore than he already had. He. Would. Not. _Win._ With one last glance, I called over to the rather cute looking crime scene photographer.

"Mase?" Mason Ashford and I had been friends ever since I started at the Academy and had to do a mock crime scene investigation together. Of course, that silly trial didn't prepare me for what I was going to face later on in my career, but it did lead to an everlasting friendship with Mason.

"Yes cutie?" He walked over to me with a look of love in his eyes, I knew he had a little thing for me, but sadly, as cute as he was with his red hair and bright blue eyes, I couldn't return the feelings. I would never think of him more than a brother, and he knew that, but that didn't stop him from trying, as was evident now where he was practically undressing me with his eyes.

"Could you possibly take a picture of this for me? Pretty please?" I batted my dark lashes at him and gave him my famous man-eater smile. Hey, just cause I didn't like him like that doesn't mean I couldn't flirt with him, does it?

"Anything for you sweet cheeks." He smiled back as he looked at what I was pointing to. His smile dropped and his face darkened as he read the note. "What is this?" He demanded.

"The killer left it for me, it's nothing." I replied. Hey, my job was to deal with psychos on a daily basis, and while it was never this personal, I had the mentality to block it all out. Apparently, Mason didn't though as I was soon faced with his rage.

"Stop."

"What?" I asked.

"Acting like it's nothing! It _is _something! You have to stop Rose! He's going to _kill you_." His last two words brought out fury I never knew I had.

"It's my _job!_" I screeched. "I _have to_! I can't let every little thing get to me! If I do, then I really will die. Not because some psycho is after me, but because I wouldn't be able to stop him from hurting any more innocents and that would destroy me! I have to stop him Mason! It's not just the victim's families that depend on me, or the other possible victims, it's for me. I depend on stopping him. For my mental sanity." I seethed. He didn't understand, no one did! Distancing myself from the killer was best, but I couldn't give up on this case! I just _couldn't._

Mason looked at me with fear. I had never blown up on him in all of our years as friends. He looked down. I felt horrible. I had hurt one of the ones I loved, something I swore I would never _ever_ do.

"Mase-" I started. He held up his hand.

"Rose, I don't want to hear it. Please just," He swallowed, "Let me do my job." He lifted the camera and started to take pictures of the wall. After he had snapped a few shots, he left without even saying goodbye. I groaned and walked farther down the alley. Abruptly, I came to a stop. I needed to punch something. NOW. I looked around me, but there was nothing but the walls of the alley. As I rose my fist, ready to swing, I felt a large warm hand grip my own balled up fist. Electricity flowed through me as I swore and turned around to see Dimitri.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

This seemed to take him by surprise, but his face quickly turned to the emotionless face that I first saw after telling him about Viktoria. "What for?"

"For everything. For not catching this guy sooner, for your loss, for becoming to involved with this case-" He cut me off by placing a finger over my lips with the hand that wasn't currently restraining my balled up fist.

"It's not your fault, _Roza_." He must have then realized how close we were, because he quickly dropped his arms by his side and stepped back, taking a deep breath. _Hmm…_I mused, despite our current situation of being at a bloody crime scene the same day that I had to inform him of his sister's death, I couldn't help but think that maybe, _maybe_, I had the same effect on him that he had on me.

"Can you please not punch any walls though? I'm not an expert on guns, but I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to shoot one with a broken hand. And I need you to be in the best shape when you catch my sister's killer." He gave me a half-smile that made my heart melt.

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises." I smiled back at him, though to be honest, I wasn't sure which of his statements I was replying to.

* * *

><p>When I got back to Quantico, I told Lissa everything. About the dead girl. About the note. About…Dimitri. I sighed at the thought of him. I knew my feelings for him were wrong, but I couldn't help feel drawn to him.<p>

Lissa, supportive as ever, said I couldn't help whom I cared about, it sometimes just happens. I knew she was right, but that didn't stop me from beating myself up over it. I had refused to talk to him for two days, but I knew he wanted to see Viktoria, and I did need positive ID from a family member, though the school ID she had been carrying on her at the time was pretty damning.

I stiffly picked up my phone as I dialed the number he had given me to call in order to set up the meeting.

"Belikov." His velvety voice filled the receiver. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Mr. Belikov? This is Agent Hathaway. I was calling to know if you'd like to see Viktoria Belikova?" I knew being formal was a little cold on my part, but I had to distance myself from him. I couldn't fall for him even harder than I already had.

"Yes of course. I will be there in a few hours." He hung up and I knew he was running to his car, trying to get to his baby sister as fast as possible. I could tell that eve though he was pretty sure she really was dead, he still held the slightest hop that she wouldn't be laying on the cold metal slab when he got to the morgue. At least, that's how I would feel if I were him. I would need to see for myself. And that is why I ignored all my feelings for him and made my way down to the King Williams County Morgue.

* * *

><p>Dimitri rushed in at about 3 PM and locked eyes with me. I almost melted in those chocolaty brown eyes of goodness-<em>Stop it Rose!<em> I chided. _Now is not the time! Pay attention to the dead girl!_ I gave a curt nod as I headed over to one of the freezers and pulled out Viktoria. Dimitri's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything at first.

"That's her." He said sadly after a few minutes had passed.

"I'm sorry for your loss." I said. Again.

"Can I have a few minutes alone with her?" he pleaded. I hesitated however. This was soooo against protocol! I'm not supposed to leave someone alone with a dead body! Who knows what they might do?

Of course, I had broken protocol so many times in the past few days for him, what's once more?

"Yes," I said slowly, "I'll give you 10 minutes." He nodded at me as I walked over to the room where they held all the surgical equipment. Luckily, there was a one way mirror in there that looked out to the main room, so I wouldn't be breaking protocol quite as bad as I would have if I just left him in there without _any_ supervision whatsoever.

I watched as he smoothed her hair and whispered something to her as a lone tear fell down his cheek. It just broke my heart to see him like this! He continues stroking her hair for the rest of the 10 minutes.

I walked out of the room and made my way over to him. He looked up at me with understanding and I suddenly felt the urge to hug him. I refrained myself from doing so and silently comforted him.

"Thank you for letting me say goodbye. I must be going now." He turned sharply and quickly walked out of the room. And with that, I knew I wasn't going to be talking with him for quite some while.

* * *

><p>Three days had passed since Galina was murdered and I was getting nowhere. After questioning dozens of witnesses, my brain was fried. It was just like all the other girls. No one saw anything, heard anything, or did anything about it. I slammed my fists down on the steering wheel of my SUV when my phone started ringing. Probably just another dead end tip.<p>

"Hathaway." I growled into the receiver.

"Rose, really, stop beating yourself up. It's not your fault." Alberta's motherly voice crooned at me.

"I know, but I can't help it! I mean really, no one saw a little girl get brutally slashed up or heard her screams? I find that incredibly hard to believe." She was silent and I could just tell she was shaking her head on the other side of the phone. "Why did you call, Alberta? I'm sure it just wasn't to check up on me, I just saw you like 30 minutes ago."

"Oh!" He excited voice came back through the receiver. "I almost forgot. The DNA results from the hair found inside Viktoria Belikova's mouth came back. With a hit in the system."

I almost slammed on the brakes in astonishment. "Who is it?" I asked in a small voice. I might have just found the killer. Was I really ready to face him? I shook my paranoia aside. _Hell yes I was!_

" A man named Victor Dashkov. He's a biology teacher at St. Basil's Academy."

"That's where Viktoria attended school!" I yell excitedly. "Why was he in the system?"

"He was in the system for rape of a minor back when he was 19. The charges were dropped, turns out it was his girlfriend who was only 16 at the time.

"But Rose- I- I have some bad news as well." There goes the happy feeling I had from moment's earlier.

"What is it Alberta?" I sighed.

"Um…thehairandtheskindidn'tmatch." She said hurriedly.

"What?"

"I said, the hair found in her mouth and the skin under her nails didn't match."

"Wait…so we might have more than one offender?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes, and the other offender isn't in the system." She replied sadly. She wanted this guy caught just as much as me.

_Fuck._

**AGHAG! stupid me just realized that the line breaks I've been putting in in word haven't been showing up in the chapters! Umm...Whoops...so when it suddenly switches places or times in few of the chapters, just know I really DID try to put in line breaks! Sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah yeah yeah, this chapter is short, but I will update a longer one tomorrow! :) so anyway...enjoy!**

**-Kira**

I sped over to St. Basil's Academy, not even bothering to turn on my hidden sirens. As I pulled into the parking lot, I couldn't help but marvel at how much St. Basil's looked like my old school in Montana, St. Vladimir's Academy. With it's gothic style architecture modeled after the medieval buildings in Eastern Europe, it was just like being in high school again. I smiled to myself and realized how much I missed my drunken partying days. I realized I was still standing in front of the school, so I quickly ran inside, looking for the main office.

I ran inside, quickly heading over to the secretary. She looked like a bitch with her black hair, blue eyes, and glaring expression. "Can I help you?" She sneered at me. Yup. Definitely a bitch. I rolled my eyes and looked at the name plaque on her desk. _Natasha Ozera, Principal's Assistant_.

"Yes, I need to speak to the Principal." I flashed her my badge. Her face paled at the site of it. "Agent Hathaway, FBI." I identified myself to her slowly, as if she was an idiot.

She pointed a shaky hand behind her at a door labeled _Ellen Kirova, Headmistress._

"In-in-in there." She stammered, her eyes never leaving the gun on my waist. _What could she possibly have done to be so afraid of law enforcement?_ I mused to myself. Hmm...I might have to do a back-round check on her later…

I nodded politely and made my way to the door. After a few knocks, I was greeted by a woman with greying hair whose looks strangely mirrored those of a vulture. She narrowed her beady eyes at me.

"Can I help you?" Her voice was cruel and reminded me of my own Headmistress back at St. Vlad's, we never got along either despite the fact that I spent more time in her office than I did with my friends.

"My name is Agent Hathaway from the FBI. If you don't mind, I have a few questions regarding one of your teachers."

She looked down her pointy beak/nose at me. "Of course. Come in." I followed her into her office as she pointed to a cushy looking leather seat across from her desk. "Pleas, have a seat." I nodded and sunk down into the leather. I cleared my throat and looked at her.

"I have a few questions regarding Mr. Victor Dashkov. I believe he is a biology teacher here, am I correct?"

"Yes." Umm...abrupt much? She didn't even say which question she was answering.

"Ok, was Viktoria Belikova a student of his?" I asked.

She looked at her computer before returning her gaze to mine.

"Yes, she had 5th period Honors Biology with Mr. Dashkov and she also helped tutor students in Biology with him after school 3 days a week."

"Thank-you. Are you aware that Mr. Dashkov holds a criminal record for statutory rape?"

"Yes." I was shocked. _Why would she admit that?_

"You are aware that it is a federal offence to let a sex offender work for a school? Not to mention a violation of his lifetime parole." I was getting angry now. _How many young girls had he taken advantage of, using his job as a teacher to gain trust? _

"You have no right to judge me! This was a special situation." She snapped. I laughed coldly.

"You have 5 minutes to tell me why he is working here, or I am afraid I will have to arrest you and Mr. Dashkov." I sneered as I told here about arresting her. What I wouldn't give to see this bitch rot in jail.

"Do not threaten me Agent Hathaway." She glared at me, but began to speak anyway. "As you are well aware, Mr. Dashkov was arrested back in 1982 for 'rape' of his girlfriend who was 16 at the time."

_No shit Sherlock…_

"Yes ma'am."

"And those charges were indeed dropped."

"With all due respect, that doesn't change what he did, ma'am." I knew that being polite to her would get the answers I wanted, so I refrained myself from tearing her head off for letting the sick bastard near the kids…for now.

"It was a case of poor judgment!" She snapped. And then sighed, "As was it on mine."

I stared at her with an open mouth. She did not just imply what I though she was implying.

"You were…involved with Mr. Dashkov?" I didn't quite know how to phrase _"You were the underage girl he was fucking?" _without sounding like a _total_ bitch.

She laughed humorously. "Yes, he was my boyfriend at the time. My father walked in on us and threw a fit and insisted that I never see him again, even after I convinced him to drop the charges. So we went our separate ways.

"But after a few years, when I found him again, he couldn't get a job as a teacher, the only thing he was trained in. So when I got this job, I immediately offered him one too."

I was speechless. While what she had done was wrong, I understood the feeling of having to make up something to someone even though you didn't commit the crime in the first place. It was kind of like that with Dimitri and I. _Dimitri_..I sighed. To distract myself from the thoughts of the Russian god, I tuned back into Headmistress Kirova and said, "You are aware that he was having sexual relations with Viktoria Belikova, right? And you are aware that she is now dead? Do you think that is a coincidence Headmistress? Because in my job training, we are taught that nothing is ever a coincidence, and I don't believe this is." I watched as she recoiled in shock.

"What can I do to help?" She asked in a small voice.

I smiled cruelly. "Tell me what room he is in."

**UH OH, Rose is gonna confront Victor! That can't be good...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the review and help on whether or not I should change the title! And while I'm not gonna change right now, thanks for all the ideas for if in the future it REALLY starts bugging me!**

**-Kira**

I barged into room 1125 five minutes after leaving Kirova's office. A tall man with graying black hair and piercing jade green eyes turned to me.

"Can I help you?" He asked innocently as he turned away from the class he was currently teaching. _Yes you can you son of a –_

"My name is Agent Hathaway from the FBI. Is there somewhere we can go to talk? Privately?" When I spoke, the 30 pairs of bored looking eyes facing Victor sparked up with interest, most likely wondering why their biology teacher was being questioned by the FBI.

"Of course Agent Hathaway." He turned away from the class and led me back into the hallway. "Now, why are you here?"

"Are you familiar with a young girl by the name of Viktoria Belikova?" He paled at my words as he visibly gulped. He quickly regained his posture as he offered a small smile back to me.

"Yes, she was one of my best students." I raised my eyebrows at this.

"Was?" He seemed to realize what he said. Her death hadn't been released to the public yet.

"Um…" _Gotcha._

"Were you having sexual relations with an underage student?"

"It's not what you think…" He stammered. I smirked.

"Is it ever? Now, if it's 'not what I think' as you so put it, why don't you explain to me why _your_ pubic hair was found in _her _mouth. Because what I think about that is evidence that there was some sort of sexual relationship with an _underage_ girl."

"But we were in love!"

I laughed humorously. "Well no matter how creepy I think it is for a 50 year old man to be 'in love' with a 16 year old girl, you should have waited two years until she of was _legal age_." I was so gonna nail this bastard!

"You wouldn't understand! No one does!" He looked around nervously like a rabbit trapped in a cage.

"Did you murder Miss Belikova?" I asked calmly.

"No! I would never do that!" He pleaded. But it made me wonder..._who was he trying to convince, himself or me?_

"Then how did you know she was dead?" My voice was eerily calm as I glared at this sick old man.

"I-I-I-"

"You what?" I nearly screamed. So much for any sort of composure I had earlier…

"I found her!" He cried in desperation.

"And you didn't report her to the police?" As far as I knew, the people who had found her body were just some bikers, coming out from a local bar.

"No! I couldn't! Don't you see? They would try and blame me!" He was getting twitchy now. That's never good…

"Mr. Dashkov, I'm going to have to take you in for further questioning."

He laughed an evil laugh. I shuddered from the cold sold emitting from his throat. "Am I under arrest?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. I was going to ask you to go willingly and then get your statement there, but I guess we can do it this way. Victor Dashkov, you are under arrest for statutory rape. Anything you say can and will be used-AHH!" I yelled as he tackled me to the floor. He was reaching for something in his belt. And that's when I felt it. The cool metal being pressed into my chest. He had a gun. Oh my god. I shoved him with all my force off of me, before he could cock the gun back. He stumbled back in surprise before sneering at me.

"Hathaway, you will never take me!"

I put my hand on my own gun in the holster on my belt, taught never to actually draw the weapon unless I was absolutely positive he could not be persuaded or subdued in some other fashion.

"Victor, let's talk about this. You don't want this, do you?" I calmly asked, my voice somewhat quivering in fear. He kept his gun pointed at me.

"I loved her!"

"I'm sure you did, Victor. Why don't you tell me how much you love her? But first, why don't you put down the gun?" I prayed to whoever was up there that he would stop this nonsense and I could walk out of here alive.

Instead of answering me, he laughed. I sneered and drew my gun. If a fight what this bastard wanted, then a fight he was going to get. I heard him cock his gun back, and I suddenly knew we both weren't getting out of this building alive. And the truth was…I _wanted_ him dead. Dead for all the crimes he had committed to young girls in the past. Dead for all the girls he might have killed. So I too cocked my gun and aimed at his chest.

"Victor Dashkov, drop your weapon!"

"No!" He screamed as his finger pulled the trigger-

But I was faster. Before I knew if, my clip was emptied into his chest and I watched the life draining out of his eyes as he fell to the ground with a soft thud. After I kicked his gun away from the body, I ran over to check his pulse, even though with the blood seeping from his mouth and nose, it was pretty obvious he was dead. I heard a scream behind me as I looked to see his class peering out from the doorway, trying to catch a glimpse of their teacher. I yelled at them to get back inside and close the door. I whipped out my cell phone and dialed Alberta.

"Petrov."

"Alberta?" I asked with a wavering voice.

"Rose? Is that you? What's wrong dear?"

"I-I need a bus at St. Basil's. Immediately."

"What happened Rose?" Her voice was filled with motherly compassion.

"I killed him, Alberta." I sobbed softly into the receiver.

"Killed who, sweetie?"

"Victor Dashkov." She gasped.

I cried internally as I realized what had happened. I killed a him. I killed Victor Dashkov in cold blood. I could have subdued him earlier or called for back up and stalled him as a crew came to bail me out. There were a million things I could have done differently. But I didn't. He was dead because I wanted him dead for all the things he had done over the years. But that still didn't change the fact that I, Rosemarie Hathaway, had killed him in cold blood. I was no better than him. I was a criminal.

_Oh god…_

**Hmm...did Rose actually have a good reason for killing Victor? I mean, sure he's a scum bag, but would he have helped her get the killer? WAS he the killer? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't uploaded in awhile...been busy with life. But due to my best friend's constant bugging, I finally found the time to write another chapter. So thank her :) **

**-Kira**

I watched numbly as the CSI crew came to….clean up. Victor was sprawled on the floor underneath a yellow sheet to somewhat protect the eyes of the students of St. Basil's Academy. Not that it helped much with the blood seeping through the thin material and all. I could still see his terrified face as the life seeped out of him in my mind. Sure, I had killed people before. 8 to be exact, but none of them haunted me like a certain Victor Dashkov. Maybe because he seemed so scared in his last moments or maybe because he truly though he was in love with Viktoria, I don't know. Well, I didn't until I had to talk to Internal Affairs, that is

"Agent Hathaway?" A stuck up looking older man in a crisp business suit walked up to where I was sitting on the floor, next to Victor.

"Yes?" I replied in a small voice. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone but Alberta, Lissa, or strangely enough, Dimitri, after I had killed Victor. But obviously, this guy had different plans as he spoke again.

"My name is Mr. Lazar and I'm with Internal Affairs. Will you please follow me?" I nodded meekly and stood up to follow him into an abandoned classroom just down the hall from Victor's biology class. He motioned for me to sit at one of the desks as he turned and closed the door. It made me think of all the times I had been reprimanded in high school and put into detention. He looked at me with an impassive stare as began his questioning.

"What was your purpose of visiting Mr. Dashkov?" His voice was cold and emotionless which made me internally shudder.

"He was in a…_relationship_ with one of the victim's, a Viktoria Belikova, of my case. She was underage and I was following up with all possible leads."

"When did you shoot him?"

"After he pulled a gun on me."

"And why did he pull a gun on you?" I was really getting tired of all these questions, I just wanted to talk to Lissa!

"Because I was in the process of arresting him for the statutory rape of Viktoria Belikova!" I all but shouted at him. As I was regaining my cool, Mr. Lazar continued to look at me with the cold glare.

"I see. Did you wish Mr. Dashkov dead?"

I was taken aback. "Wha-No! I mean, he was a lowlife who preyed on young girls but I would have rather seen him rot in jail!" While part of me really DID want him dead, the other part, thankfully the majority, was in tune to what I said_. _

"So you said he pulled a gun on you?" Back to the boring questions.

"Yes. A 9mm semi-automatic revolver."

"Did you try an reason with him?"

I scoffed. "Of course I did! I didn't stop trying to get him to release his weapon until he cocked the gun back. By then it was me or him…so I chose to shoot him."

His eyes narrowed a little at my little revelation. "You said he cocked the gun? Was his finger on the trigger?"

"Yes."

"Agent Hathaway, were you aware that Mr. Dashkov's gun was in fact, not loaded?"

I stared at him in surprise. "N-no." I stuttered out, probably not helping my case, but I was in shock.

"Mmhmm. I would recommend going to therapy for awhile while you get your head back into the game. In the meantime, I will need your badge and gun as we continue to investigate this. You will be put on 1 week of paid leave, though that might be lengthened if need be." My heart clenched, breathing stopped.

"My badge?" I asked in a quiet voice.

He nodded once. "And gun."

I put my hand over the gun that had not left my side since starting my job as an agent. I couldn't do it. If I was on 'leave' that means I couldn't work on the case. If I couldn't work on the case, that meant _he _would win! But if I refused, I knew the 'leave' would be a lot longer than it was- most likely becoming permanent. So I slowly detached my gun from it's holster and set it on the desk in front of me. Then I took out my badge from under my blazer and laid it next to the gun.

"Thank you for not making this any more difficult than it need be." For the first time since starting this interview, Mr. Lazar actually sounded sincere. "Now, go home, take a break, and then go talk to Dr. Vasilisa Dragomir about your…situation. Goodbye." And with that, I was left in the classroom all alone with only my thoughts to keep me company. And they were _not_ pleasant. The only thing I could think about was the fact that Victor's gun didn't have any bullets in it. _Why?_ I kept asking myself. _ Why would he commit suicide by cop? _ He couldn't have possibly thought that I was going to let him go once he pulled a gun on me, loaded or not. I stood up quietly and made my way back to the parking lot, I needed to see Liss, and I needed to see her now.

* * *

><p>I pulled back into Quantico and banged my fists on the steering wheel. Stomping my way up to Lissa's office, my rage of killing a technically unarmed man having set over on the drive back. I mean, did he deserve it? I wasn't sure of anything anymore. I started pounding on Lissa's door so hard, I was afraid it was going to fall off the hinges. Lissa appeared in the doorway, taking in my enraged appearance. Her eyes widened in shock.<p>

"Rose?"

"I need to talk." I pushed past her and sat on the leather couch, waiting for her to join me.

"What happened?" She asked. I burst.

"I KILLED AN UNARMED MAN LISS!" Her mouth dropped into a little 'o'.

"Victor?" Of course she had already heard of it. The bastard Lazar from IA would have already called her.

"Yes Victor!" I yelled.

"Tell me all of what happened, Rose." She soothing voice made me take a deep breath and recap the events of what had happened earlier today starting from what happened with Kirova and ending with my newly acquired suspension. She was silent throughout my recap, nodding her head only when necessary. Finally, she spoke.

"Rose, I know I can't understand everything you are going through, but I don't think it was your fault for Victor's death. Yes, you pulled the trigger, but he _wanted it_. It was _his_ death wish, he wanted to make you feel weak, probably like you made him feel when you brought up his relationship with Viktoria."

I nodded numbly. She saw I wasn't going to say anything else, so she continued. "And about your leave of absence-" I cringed "-you need to get your mind off of that. Mr. Lazar called me and has already half way cleared you, so it shouldn't be as long as you were originally told, probably only a few days at most."

I smiled widely at the thought. "Really Liss?"

She offered a smile back. "Really Rose. But for the mean time, I think we should do something to get your mind off of all this. I know!" She suddenly perked up even more, "We can go clubbing!"

**If you haven't guessed it already, there's some more Dimitri in the next chapter :) I will try and upload more often, but with high school starting soon and dive practice twice a day...it will be hard. Until next time! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I know it's been awhile :( sorry bout that. Life sadly caught up to me as summer finally finished and school started. So please forgive me! Now for a little bit of Dimka and Roza! Enjoy :)**

**-Kira**

The music was blaring as lights flashed throughout Nightingale**,** one of my old favorite clubs located just on the outskirts of D.C. A little ways of a drive, but totally worth it to just forget about the whole Viktor-gun-not-loaded-thing. Lissa and I had spent the better part of that afternoon after leaving her office getting ready. I had immediately known our efforts were not wasted as I caught all of the guys at the bar looking at us with lust while all the girls had their glares on. I smirked my perfectly glossed lips and swayed my hips a little more in the 6 inch black peep-toe pumps I had on that went perfectly with my tight fitting black strapless dress that went about mid thigh. With my smoky eye make-up and naturally wavy hair cascading down my back, I knew I would be getting a lot of…attention tonight. Lissa was dressed a little more modestly in her light pink dress with a high neckline that was baggy on the top and tight fitting on the bottom. Her platinum blonde hair was straightened to perfection and her light make-up made her look beautiful.

We headed over to the bar, continuing to get many stares and glares. I started to sit down on one of the bar stools when Lissa gazed longingly at the dance floor. I followed her gaze and saw Christian out there, staring back at her expectantly. I sighed. I should have known she would have invited him. Suddenly this night about ME forgetting with my best friend vanished.

"Go ahead." I said to her with a bit of resentment. She smiled hugely back at me.

"You sure?" She was already inching her way towards him. I rolled my eyes and hopped the rest of the way onto the stool.

"Yes. Now go before I really _do _change my mind!" She squealed and giggled in delight and ran to Christian jumping up into his arms and beginning a passionate kiss with him. I shook my head sadly and turned to the bartender. He looked over me once before leaning provocatively over the counter.

"And what can I help you with?" His voice seemed husky and low. Though he was hot and definitely interested, judging from the look he was giving me…I still couldn't get a certain Russian out of my mind and honestly, I didn't want to. But instead of telling him all this, I just gave him my signature man-eater smile and whispered seductively in his ear over the loud beat of the music,

"Vodka on the rocks, please." He gulped and turned around quickly to start making my drink. He slid the drink across the counter to me- along with his number. I winked at him and sipped my drink. I turned around on my stool to survey the dance floor. I saw Lissa grinding Christian towards the middle of the dance floor as the strobe lights and music continued to pulse wildly. As I surveyed the rest of the skimpily clad women and somewhat plainly dressed men, my eyes flicked towards a tall man with shoulder length brown hair leaning against a dark wall in the club with his arms crossed over his chest as he was staring intently over at the bar. The bar where I was sitting. My breathing hitched as he slowly uncrossed his arms and made his was over to me. I watched him spellbound, him keeping eye contact with me even after having to stop and politely refuse a ditzy looking blonde girl with fake breasts. When he finally reached me, I let out a huge breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"Agent Hathaway?" His voice was darker than usual. My heart was beating so fast, I swear he could hear it.

"It's Rose." I replied, still a little irked that he refused to call me by my first name. He gave me a half smile in return.

"Hello again Rose." I smiled back at him.

"Care to join me?" I asked and patted the stool next to me.

"I would love to." He smiled a dazzling smile, his perfect white teeth gleaming in the flashing lights. He gracefully lowered himself onto the bar stool.

"So what brings you here?" I asked.

"I actually work near here, at Dhampir Studios. I'm here with some colleagues, trying to forget." His voice cracked at the last part.

"Dimitri, it wasn't your fault. Promise me you won't blame yourself anymore. If you want, we can try and forget together." I needed to make him see I was here for him, that we were in the same boat. He smiled back at me.

"Deal." The rest of the night was spent talking about anything and everything that didn't have to do with the case. We talked, laughed, and smiled for hours and hours. Soon it was nearing 2:00 AM and Lissa and Christian came over to get me. I sighed, knowing after this night, I would have to go back to a professional relationship with Dimitri, one where we didn't laugh about his obsession with the Wild West or joke about my wild eating habits. And to be honest….I didn't want to. I wanted to stay here in my little Dimitri bubble and ignore the rest of the world, the case, the killer, Viktor. But that could never be, and I knew it. I waved and gave a small smile to Dimtri as I turned to follow Lissa out to the car.

"Roza, wait." He grabbed my arm. Electric sparks shot up my arm where we touched. I gasped and felt him tense up behind me before he relaxed and continued on with what he was going to say. "I had a great time, and I would really like to see you again, if that's ok. "

"Dimitri you know we can't-" Whatever reason I had cooked up in my mind on why we couldn't see each other again flew out the window when he pressed our bodies close together and gave me the most passionate kiss I had ever experienced.

**I'll try and update next weekend :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey hey hey, sorry I've been taking so long to update, I swear. Today was the first almost homework free day I've had in a month. The 3 AP classes I have are kicking my butt, I dont want to go to college and take hard classes 24/7! Anyway...here it is, sorry it's rushed :)**

**-Kira**

Its' been a week. Dimitri and I haven't talked and I had been throwing myself more and more into the case with only 2 weeks left to solve the mystery of who the killer was before he came after me. No new leads had shown up, not even another dead girl. Although, Virginia's a big state and not all of the rural towns inhabiting it had the resources to necessarily make the connection between their dead girls and ours, nor would they be too keen on involving the FBI. Many of the small towns wanted to do everything themselves, and viewed the government as unnecessary. So, with that, I was left to try and figure out who this killer was with the little clues I had been left over the past year and a half through the victims.

I was constantly pouring over the old cases, day after day; looking for something- anything- that would give me a clue or connect the victims in some way. Looking between Camille Conta and Avery Lazar's case files, I saw it. Both had been 'escorts' for the same company, "The Royals". But that wasn't what surprised me; it was their last listed clients. He was one in the same, a man by the name of Jesse Zeklos. How could I have not have noticed this sooner? Maybe it was because I didn't know _what _ to look for earlier, or maybe it was because I was distracted by a certain Russian…I really don't know. But now that I've found this clue, I have every intention of following up on it.

So I decided to call "The Royals" in hopes that this Zeklos guy was a regular and left his address or telephone number with the company.

"Hello, this is The Royals club and how can I help you feel so much better today?" A guy sang into the receiver.

"Hello, my name is Agent Hathaway and I'm with the FBI, could you please give me the address or telephone number of a Mr. Jesse Zeklos? He was the last person seen with two of your now dead girls, Avery Lazar and Camille Conta?" I really hoped he wouldn't play the old 'confidentiality' card on me- especially after I brought up two of his coworkers.

"Miss, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. Client confidentiality agreement. Sorry. Wish I could help, but I can't." He seemed sadder at the mention of the two victims, so I tried to play up on that.

"Oh, I understand. But it would really help me catch the killer of your friends. It's ok though. No harm done."

His voice seemed strained through the receiver, "Miss- I ca-ca-can't."

"Like I said, it's ok! I'll just have to get a warrant…" I pulled out my last card; getting legal action.

He sighed. "No need to do that. Jesse Zeklos? Is that who you wanted?"

I smilied. "Yes."

I heard some shuffling before the guy picked the phone up again. "Alright, yes, Mr. Zeklos is a regular with us, his address is 547 Shermin Ave., Alexandria. Call me if you need help with anything else, Avery and Camille were two of my best friends." He hung up before I could even say bye. I think it was time to pay Jesse Zeklos a little visit.

* * *

><p>I knocked on the beat up door of a small townhouse in Alexandria. A woman with long black hair and icy blue eyes opened the door. Her expression of shock I'm sure mirrored my own. It was Natasha Ozera, the secretary from Saint Basil's.<p>

"Agent Hathaway! What can I do for you?" She looked around nervously, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Hello again Ms. Ozera. I was looking for a Jesse Zeklos? He wouldn't happen to live here, would he? This was the address I was given."

Just then, a man in his late twenties with blond hair and blue eyes appeared at the door wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He was obviously high. "Babe, who's at the door? Come back to bed. I'm not paying you for talking."

Tasha looked down, embarrassed. "It's the feds, Jesse."

"Shit! Hide the meth!" Oh. My. God. This guy was an idiot!

"Uh…" Tasha replied looking back toward what I assumed was the kitchen.

"Fuck! Woman! Just get your pretty little ass in here and start shooting it up!" He ran inside, I guess to "shoot it up".

"Um, look. I won't arrest you if you get him to answer some questions."

Tasha looked relieved. "Ok, sure. Give me a sec." She disappeared into the house bringing back a half passed out Jesse.

"Mr. Zeklos, do you remember a Avery Lazar or a Camille Conta? From The Royals? You were the last person seen with them- alive that is."

"Yeah, uh-huh, sure. Good fucks. Didn't care for the blonde one, Camille I think, as much though. Bad faker." ARGH! Did he seriously not have a sensor?

"I see. And did you kill them?" Well if he was being all out in the open with me, might as well try.

"Only with my good looks." He smirked. "I'm not into strangling bitches with my hands, not my cup o' tea. Much prefer to shove me di-"

"OK! That's enough. Thank you for your time." I hurriedly turned around and walked back to my car. Just before I got in, though, I heard "You can join us if you like, you're as sexy as fuck!" _God, if you exist, kill me now._ I thought.

I whipped out my cell and called Stan to have the local Alexandrian Police send a cruiser over to Zeklos' house. Hey, just because I promised that I wouldn't bring them in didn't mean that I wouldn't call someone to arrest him instead.

**Tasha's a prostitute. Wow. Didn't see that one comin'! And Jesse's an idiot...but I'm pretty sure everyone knew that already :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**So I was bored babysitting and I thought "Hey, I can write!" I still feel bad for making everyone wait so long for the last one...anyway. Hope you enjoy!**

**-Kira**

When I arrived back at the office, I found a package waiting for me on my desk. It was just a plain brown box, but didn't have a return address.

"Do you know who sent this?" I called out to Adrian, who was passing my desk at that moment.

"No, who?" Dumbass.

"I don't know. If I did I wouldn't be asking you, now would I?"

He smirked, "No need to get snippy Little Agent. Just simply trying to lighten the mood."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the mysterious box. _I wonder what this could be…_ I grabbed some scissors and cut the tape neatly down the middle. When I opened the box, I felt dizzy. I faintly recognized my own scream as the world turned black.

I opened my eyes to a bight, sterile looking room. _Where am I?_ I asked myself as I looked around. To my left there was a heart monitor and an IV. _Ah. I'm in a hospital…but why?_ And then the memories came flooding back to me.

A mysterious box.

Adrian standing next to me.

Opening said box.

Seeing a human head- a real head- in the box.

Passing out.

I looked around the room once more and was startled to find a large man with shoulder length brown hair sitting in the corner silently snoring. _How had I not noticed him before?_

"Dimitri?" I croaked.

His read shot up instantly and he was by my side holding my hand in an instant. "Roza? Are you ok? I was so worried…" He trailed off, staring into space. Probably thinking about Viktoria again.

"I'm fine…I think. I honestly don't know what happened. All I remember is seeing a bloody severed head in a box and then waking up here." I frowned. "Wait-what's a _Roza?_"

His warm chuckle brought shivers to my hospital gown clad body. "It's your name in Russian." I smiled. No, more like beamed. "I'm glad to hear you are OK, you've been out for a couple days and people were starting to worry- mainly me."

As sick as it sounds, I'm glad he was worried for me. "Have you been here this whole time?"

"Yes." That simple one worded answer made my heart flutter…which of course he was able to tell courtesy of the heart rate monitor.

"Thanks, you really didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to." He smiled. Just then, Lissa decided it would be the best time to come rushing in.

"OhmygodRoseyou'reawakeI''tyoueverdothattomeagain!" She exhaled in one breath.

"Woah. Liss. Calm down. I fainted, not have a seizure." She glared at me and pursed her lips.

"Just fainted. _Just fainted?_ JUST FAINTED? You were passed out in a mini-coma for 2 and a half days! Why would I be calm about that? And on TOP of that, there's a severed head in the morgue now, waiting to be identified! He struck again, Rose! How are _you_ calm?"

Uh…good question. Probably because of Dimitri. I smiled to myself. "You know Liss, worrying to much will cause wrinkles."  
>She gasped and moved her hand to her forehead. "How dare you give me wrinkles!" We both looked at each other and then burst out laughing. Dimitri looked between us, confused with one eyebrow raised. Damn! I wish I could do that…maybe he could teach me, just another excuse to see my Russian god.<p>

"Did I miss something?" He asked in that sexy accent of his.

"No…"Lissa and I said at the same time, then we both started laughing again. I thought back to the day 10 years ago at St. Vladimir's.

_It was a sunny day at St. Vlad's and Lissa and I had taken the opportunity of skipping class and enjoying it. As we were walking through the lush Montana forests surrounding the school, Lissa spoke up._

"_Let's play truth or dare, without the dares of course." She looked thoughtful._

"_So truth or…truth?" I asked._

"_Yes! Exactly. Let's play truth or truth. Me first! Ok, um…what did you think of me when you first saw me?" I smiled._

"_That's easy, I immediately felt drawn to protect you and thought you were the nicest 5 year old I had ever met."_

_She giggled. "I knew you would be my best friend from the moment I saw you."_

"_Ok, my turn. What is your biggest fear?"_

_She frowned. "Dying in a car crash like my family." We both shuddered at the memories of the twisted metal, surrounding us like a hot blanket._

"_It's ok Liss. I'll never let that happen." Of course I had no way to back that up, but I felt the need to protect her; and if saying that protected her from bad thoughts, then so be it. _

_She gave me a ghost of a smile before asking, "What about you?"_

"_You dying." And it was true. If she died and I wasn't there to protect her, I don't know what I would do. _

"_Don't worry, I don't plan on letting that happen anytime soon." We both looked at each other before cracking up._

"_Ok, ok." She said while trying to stop her laughter. "Next question; what are you least looking forward to about growing old?"_

"_Getting grey hair. I can't imagine my life without my dark luscious locks!" I gasped in fake horror. Lissa laughed her ass off before responding._

"_Getting wrinkles. I don't want to be one of those flabby old ladies who are under the impression that wearing a bikini is a good idea." We both laughed until the security guard patrolling the grounds saw us and told us to go back to class._

Ever since the, we had been teasing each other every chance we got about growing old. Dimitri just shook his head and chuckled at our silliness. As I was getting caught up on what had happened in the past 2 and a half days, I suddenly remembered something Lissa had said earlier.

"Liss, you said the head was in the morgue waiting to be identified, right?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Yes, but I don't think you should-"

"I have to go!" I stood up abruptly, pulling the IV and other needles out of my skin.

"Rose I don't think-"

"Screw that! I need to go find myself a murderer!"


	11. ANsorry

**Hey guys, sorry to bug you with an AN... I know I know. I hate these too. I WILL get the next chapter uploaded as soon as possible (life's been kinda hectic), but in the mean time, could you please go to my profile and vote on the poll "What story should I do next?" Summaries are on my profile, too. Thanks!**

**Oh, and I PROMISE I will NOT start on another story until I have time to 1. Finish this one or 2. Juggle 2 (which is probably never gonna happen…just sayin)**

**-Kira**


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey...Yeah, I'm on break right now so I have the time to update..the first time in months. Hehe :) Um, please don't kill me!**

**-Kira**

I ran out of the hospital and to Dimitri's car (not after changing out of that hideous hospital gown of course) practically begging for him to go faster to the morgue (not like he wasn't already going 15 miles per hour above the speed limit, but whatever). Before he even finished parking, I was out of the car and rushing towards the freezers where they kept the bodies from rotting. Alberta was hunched over a table, studying a brutally mutilated body very intently.

"Alberta!" I screamed at her.

She stood up so fast that her head hit the light used for further illuminating the bodies.

"Rose!" She ran over to hug me, blood and guts covering her smock. Seeing this, I stopped her before she came too close.

"Umm…Alberta? Could you maybe change? Or at least take off the smock…." I trailed off, looking at the blood wasn't really helping the massive headache I was fighting off right now.

"OH! Dear, I am so sorry, I just get…excited." She smiled at me at went to go wash up.

"I assume you aren't here because you missed me and you just wanted to see the head some sick person left on your desk, am I correct?" She spoke to me without drawing her attention from washing her hands in the cold metal sink at the far end of the room.

"Well, yes. " I admitted sheepishly. She nodded and offered a small smile, one I always imagined my mother giving to me.

"This way then." She walked over to one of the built in freezer compartments and pulled it out of the wall. On the slide out tray was a face of one I recognized all too well.

"Tasha Ozera?"

"Yes, the dental records confirmed the identity earlier this afternoon. Her head was severed post-mortem as seen by the discoloration around the wound."

"Do you know cause of death?" I tried not to flinch as Tasha's cold blue eyes blankly stared at me.

"Not yet, we would need the rest of the body to actually figure that out. At least she was dead before her head was severed." Alberta shook her head slightly, her grey bob softly swooshing against her cheeks in the process.

"Was there any other clue?" I asked hopefully. Maybe, _just maybe_, my luck would change.

Alberta nodded and walked over to a shelf full of plastic tubs and evidence bags. She pulled out a evidence bag with what looked like a wet piece of paper in it and walked back over to me.

"This was found shoved in her mouth; it looks as though the killer wanted to leave you a message."

I reached for the bag mechanically. Nothing about this was right. Sure Tasha was crack-dealing ho, but she didn't deserve to be killed. Especially just if it was to send _me_ a message. I looked down at the bag in my hands. The ink was smudged a little from the moisture in Tasha's mouth, but other than that, it was completely coherent.

_Ring around the Rosie, pocket's full of posies, ashes ashes you _WILL_ fall down.  
>Little Rosie Posie, I'm coming for you. Watch your back.<br>Love, You know who._

* * *

><p>I was stuck in my damn apartment. The director of the FBI had found out that I was being threatened and insisted on 247 protection, along with Lissa and Dimitri. 24/7 protection my ass. This was more like house arrest. I couldn't even work on the case. In fact, I might even be taken off of it due to "conflicting interests". Bullshit. The only "conflicting interest" I'm having about this case is whether or not I should go rogue and hunt down this threatening bastard myself.

Nothing has happened since I received the head on my desk in terms of the case anyway. Its almost like he _knew_ I was on leave. Though I don't know how he would. That information is classified and hasn't left my unit of the FBI. In fact, the only only other people who know outside my unit are Mason, the director, my mother, and father (who just so happened to be keeping tabs on me and sending his own "protection detail" to watch me).

Life had been moving very slowly lately, that's for sure.

However, all of this time let me think. About the case; about life; about Dimitri.

Dimitri. Just the thought of him made my heart flutter. Such a cliché, but a true one. We hadn't spent much time together since the house arrest began, but that was all going to change tonight, for we were finally going to go on a date.

* * *

><p>I pulled up to the restaurant in my black SUV and stepped out in my short strapless red dress and 5 inch black pumps. As I searched around for Dimitri, I spotted someone else incredibly familiar.<p>

"Mason?" I squealed. I hadn't seen him since the note on the wall incident nearly 3 months ago. This was a long time to not see a person, let alone one of your best friends.

"Rosie Posie!" He embraced me in a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

I laughed at his old nickname for me. "Meeting my boyfriend, Dimitri."

His chuckling face suddenly grew cold as he growled, "He's not good for you Rose."

"Excuse me? Who are you to tell me who's good for me or not? You don't even know him!" I was shocked. This was so unlike the naturally good-humored Mason.

"Rose-" He tried with softer eyes.

"Save it. I don't want to hear it." I cut him off and turned on my heels to look for Dimtiri.

"I can't let you make this mistake, Rose." He came up behind me and placed his hands on my waist.

"Get off of me Mason!" I yelled trying to struggle away from him.

"Afraid I can't do that sweetheart. And you know why." Then it dawned on me.

Sweet little innocent Mason was the killer.

And I was his next victim.

**Well that happened faster than I would have liked, but I don't really have a plan for this story, as you have probably guessed. Oh well! Happy gobble gobble day!**


	13. Chapter 12

**What? What is this story that I just got an alert from? How come I've never seen this before? If any of those questions are running through your head right now, then I am truly sorry :( I haven't had time! With cousin's weddings, my birthday, Christmas, and next week, finals, yeah. Life's been busy. But I'm updating now, aren't I ;)**

**Anyway, on a side note, who else doesn't like it when people can't use grammar correctly? So sorry if I have any mistakes, but please tell me! I mean, your, you're; there, their, they're; were, wear; here, hear; and rapping, raping, wrapping (this set is just awkward...I was reading a story on here where someone said "he was raping on my door" and then later said "rapping on my door louder" and I wanted to tell them, seriously? he violated a door by RAPING it? And then continued to beat box rap on it? What is this madness!) should NEVER be mixed up in my opinion, so please tell me if I do! **

**Sorry for the wait again!**

**-Kira**

I woke up a while later tied with a bright yellow nylon rope to a cold metal chair. _What the…_ I thought. But then I remembered the events that had taken place earlier that night.

Seeing a friend.

Finding out a disturbing truth.

Getting knocked out.

And it all lead to one person, a person I would have never suspected of brutally murdering young girls just for the thrill of it in a million years.

_Mason._

Someone I trusted, confided in, loved.

Now that was all gone.

He betrayed me. A friend I had since entering the academy on my way to becoming an agent was against me… and not to mention currently holding me captive in God-knows-where.

I tugged forcefully on the bonds, begging them to break and set me free so I could put my former best friend in jail, to protect his future victims and himself. I was now seriously considering that something was wrong mentally in Mason's head. No normal red headed, blue eyed, boy would commit such atrocious crimes against the female population. No normal friend would tie me to a chair that was bolted down to the cement floor in the middle of a cold, dark room. No, something was wrong with him.

Come to think of it, I had always known something was a little off about him. The way he could manipulate emotions in people while staying perfectly calm or smile at a crime scene. And he was always there. Involving himself in the case even when he was assigned a different crime scene, he always found a way to get reassigned back to the latest victim. Mason also would have known how to cover his tracks, being a crime scene investigator and all. Yes, it all made perfect sense, but that didn't mean I wanted to think about it anymore. All I wanted was to get out of this damn room!

"Hello?" I yelled, "Mason? Get your sorry ass in here and untie me!" I thought awhile and then regretfully added a "please" at the end. I mean, sure he was a former friend and we got along great, but that didn't mean he didn't have my life in his hands right now. Angering him with impolite manners probably wouldn't be the best was to gain my freedom.

After repeating the process of yelling for Mason for a couple more minutes, I finally gave up and slumped into the back of my chair as much as the bonds would let me. I suddenly realized I was really tired, even though I had been knocked out with chloroform for who knows how long before this. So I closed my eyes and started drifting off…

When a bang of a door awoke me. Cursing under my breath, I looked up to see a ski-masked man with cold blue eyes entering the room.

I sighed. "Cut the crap Mason, I know it's you."

He chuckled and removed his mask while saying, "Sorry Rose, force of habit."

That sobered me up and I immediately remembered why I was here. The girls.

"Why'd you do it Mase?" My voice was low and cold towards my supposed best friend.

"I needed you to notice me!" He looked shocked at my sudden change of emotion.

"I already did notice you, Mason! You were my best friend! I trusted you, and you- you ruined that!"

His cold laugh filled the small room. "That's the point, Rose. You noticed me as a friend, a brother, and nothing more. I have loved you from the minute I laid eyes on you at the Academy! And you just couldn't give me a chance, could you? You were too caught up in your work. So I found a way for you to notice me! I used your work to get to you! Because of you all those 'innocent' women are dead. But you know what? It still didn't work. I unknowingly led you to Belikov." He spat Dimitri's last name with hatred.

Was he right? Did I let all those girls die because I wouldn't give him a chance? His intense staring at me brought me out of my contemplating reverie. Then something in me snapped.

"I DIDN'T KILL THEM, _YOU _DID! DO NOT PIN THIS ON ME! I didn't brutally murder people in some kind of sick, twisted scheme to get a hot girl's attention! YOU did!"

He glared back at me, a fire I had never seen before burning in his eyes.

"Is that how you really feel?"

"Yes."

"Well than. I was hoping this would finally be a wake up call to you and you would finally give me a chance. We would happily ever after in our own house back in Montana, raising our many kids, and making love all the time. But I can see you aren't going to go willingly, so I guess I'll just have to take you by force. Everyone already thinks you're dead, courtesy to an unrecognizable 5'7" brown haired woman wearing the closes you were last seen in found about, oh an hour, ago near the restaurant you were supposed to meet up for your 'date' at."

I gasped. There was no way I could hope for a rescue now, not until DNA testing come back because knowing Mason, he probably made sure that the finger tips were burnt off and the teeth were pulled out to eliminate the possibility of fingerprint or dental identification. He knew that by only leaving DNA, he would be able to get us away before anyone would actually realize that the girl found wasn't me. By the time the test results came back, I would either be living against my will as "Mrs. Ashford" in some rural town in Montana, or would be dead.

"You bastard! Over my dead body!" I screamed back at him. He quickly made his was across the room towards me and gripped my chin forcefully in his hand as he jerked my head up. He bared his teeth at me like a rabid dog , but before he could say anything, a new voice filled the room.

"That can be arranged."

I whipped my head to the familiar voice and gasped.

_No, it couldn't be._

But it was.

_Adrian._

___**Gasp! **_**Zut alors, une touche! Adrian a tuè les filles avec Mason? Non! **


End file.
